Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Helen Clark will reportedly be raising the issue of Pervez Musharraf's dual role as President and Chief of the Armed Forces when the Pakistani leader visits on friday. This is good - but will she be raising the issue of human rights as well?

According to the US State Department's 2004 country report for Pakistan, torture is widely used by both the police and security services, people are frequently arbitrarily detained, and the right to a fair trial is often abridged. Shouldn't Clark be raising that?

Or are human rights off the agenda when the "war on terror" is concerned?